Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic

Baylor Medicine’s Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) program offers specialized and multidisciplinary care. We bring together a unique team of physicians of multiple sub-specialties for patients with a spectrum of interstitial lung diseases. 
The experts of the Interstitial Lung Disease program collaborate with a multispecialty team, providing comprehensive care to patients who have multiple needs. Our collaborative nature ensures you have an individualized treatment plan that considers all aspects of your health.

In addition, our physicians are at the forefront of medical research and innovation, allowing patients access to state-of-the-art treatment modalities and the latest clinical research trials. Further, the ILD team works in close collaboration with the Baylor Medicine Lung Transplant program, which has one of the highest numbers of cases in the United States.

• Pulmonary function testing (PFT)
• Respiratory Therapy
• Bronchoscopy
• Transbronchial Biopsy
• Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS)
• Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery biopsy
• Cryobiopsy
• Whole lung lavage
• Lung transplantation
   

ILDs are a set of unique conditions with variable degrees of inflammation and scarring of the lungs. Scarring leads to stiff lungs, and patients may present with cough, shortness of breath, and require oxygen supplementation. It can be secondary to various causes, but in some cases, the reason remains unknown despite comprehensive evaluation. These conditions are often challenging for patients due to difficulty with diagnosis and treatment. Patients will benefit from being seen at specialized centers that require close monitoring of specialized medications. Some of the patients may require lung transplantation. 

There are about 200 different conditions that are categorized under ILD. The conditions commonly considered as ILDs include various disorders such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), connective tissue disease-ILD (CTD-ILD), chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and sarcoidosis. Several other rare conditions can present as ILD too. For patients with connective tissue disorders (CTD) and ILDs (e.g., Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren syndrome, Myositis), we partner with other specialties like Rheumatology to align their complex medical care. Our team consists of pulmonologists who offer expert care in this realm of diseases, along with trained specialist registered nurses, respiratory therapists, thoracic surgeons, chest radiologists, and pathologists.